With her friends comforting her, Kushida appeared to be slowly recovering.
"Who knows?"
Kiyotaka Ayanokoji answered with a somewhat disappointed tone.
"What a shame. I don't have many friends, so I really can't understand how Yamauchi manages to get along with everyone so easily."
"You don't have any friends at all."
Suzune Horikita mercilessly exposed his attempt to save face.
"Besides, Yamauchi's behavior is called being frivolous. It's hardly an admirable quality."
"Is that so?"
Kiyotaka Ayanokoji muttered expressionlessly.
Without an accurate point of reference, he found it difficult to understand how ordinary high school students thought.
And that made judging the situation rather troublesome.
Two people who had barely interacted before...
Was it really reasonable for someone with Amakawa's seemingly straightforward personality to approach and comfort Kushida?
Suzune had no interest in teaching Kiyotaka Ayanokoji about social interactions.
Meanwhile, Amakawa clearly had no intention of answering her question directly.
Besides...
She wasn't interested in Kushida anyway.
She was merely a little curious about Amakawa's true objective.
If he didn't want to answer, then forget it.
Ryouma also turned around and settled back into his seat.
Even if Kiyotaka Ayanokoji discovered that he was the one who'd spread the rumors, it wouldn't particularly matter.
Given Ayanokoji's personality, he wouldn't interfere in matters that had nothing to do with him.
Nevertheless, Ryouma had still taken the minimum necessary precautions.
Thanks to Hirata's intervention, the class would likely avoid discussing Kushida's past from now on.
Otherwise, it would seem as though they were deliberately targeting her.
Once this opportunity passed, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, who had fashioned himself into someone who avoided trouble, would find it difficult to question Horikita about the matter again.
And Horikita was bound by their contract, preventing her from accurately revealing the information.
Even if Kiyotaka Ayanokoji managed to deduce from a few scattered clues that Ryouma was responsible... This chapter is updated first at g.com.
Given his current standing in the class, nobody would believe him anyway.
Just as class was about to begin, Ryouma's phone received a message from Kikyo Kushida.
【Amakawa-kun, thank you so much for caring about me! I want to invite the whole class to karaoke after school. You have to come, okay? [Cute]】
Reading the message, Ryouma raised his head and smiled at Kushida.
Obviously, she wanted to repair her standing within the class.
Her invitation to him was probably little more than a formality.
But Amakawa knew one thing for certain.
His actions had already created a small ripple in Kushida's heart.
As for the curriculum, there was nothing particularly special about this school. It was much the same as an ordinary high school.
The subjects were mainly divided into several categories.
Japanese, mathematics, English, science, physical education, social studies, and civics. There were also plenty of other elective courses.
Since it was only the first day of classes, the school merely gave a brief explanation of its educational policies for the future.
The teachers of each subject were also extremely friendly. They turned a blind eye to the students' various little antics during class. Even their homeroom teacher, Sae Chabashira, didn't utter a single word of criticism.
Gradually, the students of Class D became even more brazen. A guy named Ken Sudo had even started openly sleeping during class.
His somewhat rhythmic snoring echoed throughout the slightly noisy classroom, already beginning to disrupt the learning environment. Yet the teachers continued to pretend they hadn't noticed anything.
Faced with this situation...
Even the students who had initially been somewhat worried and intended to at least pretend to pay attention began secretly fooling around.
'As expected, they're nothing but a bunch of defectives.'
Listening to Chabashira's lecture from the podium, Ryouma thought to himself.
As for the high school curriculum...
Thanks to the elite education provided by the Amakawa family, Ryouma had naturally mastered it long ago.
Nevertheless, he still maintained the appearance of a diligent student.
Meanwhile, Class D...
Most of the students had already begun slacking off.
Compared to the other classes, Class D indeed had an enormous gap to overcome. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
And it wasn't merely a matter of academic ability. The greater problem lay in their personal qualities.
Trying to advance to Class A with a group like this was undoubtedly impossible. They would inevitably need to undergo far more trials and hardships to achieve substantial growth.
Time passed amid this carefree atmosphere until noon finally arrived.
"Amakawa-kun, let's go eat at the school cafeteria together."
Chiaki Matsushita turned around and extended an invitation. Then, half-jokingly, she added, "You didn't join us for yesterday's gathering, so you can't refuse again today~"
"Of course."
Ryouma responded with a smile before turning toward Horikita.
"Suzune, how about coming along?"
"No, thank you."
Suzune Horikita stood up and replied in her usual cold voice.
"I prefer being alone."
Leaving behind a cool and indifferent figure, Suzune walked straight out of the classroom. Clearly, she had no desire to socialize with any of her classmates.
Even Amakawa, with whom she had already made a deal, was no exception. At most, she would acknowledge him with a nod when they met.
"Amakawa-kun, are you and Horikita-san close?"
"Why do you ask?"
The two walked side by side toward the school cafeteria.
It wasn't particularly surprising that Matsushita was curious about their relationship, but Ryouma still chose to let her guide the conversation.
Chiaki asked curiously, "Well, look. It's only the second day of school, but you're already calling Horikita-san by her first name. Or did you two happen to know each other before enrolling?"
"No, I only met Horikita yesterday."
Ryouma scratched his head somewhat helplessly.
"How should I put it? There's just something about Horikita that makes me want to tease her a little."
After a brief pause, he hurriedly explained.
"Not that kind of bullying, of course. You understand what I mean, right, Matsushita-san?"
"Mm, I understand."
Chiaki nodded in agreement.